


Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

by heytorchhead



Series: The Yoichiro Route [3]
Category: Camp Buddy (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst, Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:55:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28046553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heytorchhead/pseuds/heytorchhead
Summary: Hiro is not happy to find out that Keitaro and Taiga are dating.  But is he simply concerned for his best friend, or is he jealous?
Relationships: Hiro Akiba/Yoichi Yukimura, Keitaro Nagame/Taiga Akatora
Series: The Yoichiro Route [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938982
Comments: 17
Kudos: 29





	1. Boom Goes the Dynamite

For a second or two after he woke up, Hiro had no idea where he was.

He sat up in bed, rubbing sleep from his eyes and struggling with disorientation. He wasn't at home. He wasn't at his mom's apartment in the capital. Then he heard great, rasping snores coming from the bed beside him. The source of the sound was Yoichi, sprawled out naked and drooling on top of the covers, snoring open-mouthed. That brought it all back to him.

He was at Camp Buddy, in Cabin One.

The aftermath of his reunion with Yoichi was visible all over the cabin: their clothes strewn across the floor and furniture, hastily ripped off and cast aside within seconds of their meeting. A paper bag of doughnuts stood on the table, untouched. Hiro felt his stomach growl and realised, as usual, he was hungry. Not surprising, given the energy they'd both burned, causing them to fall asleep on the bed despite the fact it was still early afternoon.

There came a knock at the cabin door, and Hiro realised that was what had woken him up in the first place. Fortunately, they'd taken the time to prop a chair up against the door handle to prevent them being interrupted.

The knocking came again, more insistent this time.

Hiro kicked Yoichi under the covers. “Wolfboy, wake up,” he hissed. “There's someone at the door!”

Yoichi continued snoring, dead to the world.

Hiro kicked him harder.

“Dude! Wake _up_!”

“Zzzz.. gnnnn …. wha?”

Yoichi's violet eyes blinked open and gradually focused on Hiro, who was shaking him by the shoulder. “Wassa big idea?” he grumbled.

“There's someone at the _door_ ,” Hiro repeated in a whisper.

Yoichi yawned. “So answer it.”

“Wolfboy!” Hiro gestured at his own nakedness, and Yoichi's, and at their clothes scattered across the cabin.

Yoichi sat up in bed, yawning and wiping drool from the corner of his mouth. “It's probably Brokeback. Ignore it and he'll go away.”

Yet more knocking seemed to disprove this theory.

“Will he be mad if he catches me here?” Hiro whispered.

“Nah,” Yoichi said. “But he'll probably try to give us a lecture about safe sex.”

“Awww. That's kinda sweet.”

“It's a two hour Powerpoint presentation. I'm not sitting through it again.”

The knocking increased in volume, becoming hard enough to rattle both the door frame and the chair propped against it. A voice boomed through the wood, and it did not belong to Scoutmaster Yoshi.

“Mister Yukimura, I would advise you to open this door at once. I do not wish to break it down in order to verify your safety. But I will.”

Hiro and Yoichi exchanged a panicked look.

“Oh crap! It's Sir Goro!” Hiro whispered.

“Shit. Get under the covers, quick!”

Hiro did his best to hide beneath the bedclothes as Yoichi frantically dashed around the cabin, gathering up his and Hiro's clothes and shoving them under the bed.

“I'm coming, I'm coming!” Yoichi yelled. “Hold your horses, gramps!”

“Yoichi!” Hiro hissed, peeking out through the covers. “Don't make him mad!”

Yoichi waved him away and went to answer the door.

“ _Yoichi!!”_ Hiro hissed again. _“You're naked!”_

Yoichi paused, hand inches away from opening the door. He looked down at his own body in surprise. “Shit! You're right!”

Sir Goro hammered on the door again. “I will count to three!” he yelled.

“Fuck!”

“At least put on some underwear!” Hiro whispered.

“Right!”

“ONE!”

Yoichi dived under the bed and rummaged in the pile of clothes.

“TWO!”

“Yoichi, hurry!”

“Got it!”

He grabbed a pair of underpants, waving them triumphantly, and quickly pulled them on.

Unfortunately, they were Hiro's. They were also several sizes too small and barely made it halfway up his butt. The crotch strained visibly.

“Fuck!” Yoichi hissed.

“YOU DON'T WANT ME TO GET TO THREE, MR YUKIMURA!”

“Yoichi! There's no time!”

“ _Fuck!_ FINE, I'M COMING, I'M COMING!”

Yoichi pulled the chair away and opened the door. Camp Buddy's owner loomed in the doorway, glaring down at Yoichi with a stony expression on his face. He was carrying a clipboard. His eyes widened slightly as he took in Yoichi's near-nakedness.

Yoichi leaned against the door-frame, doing his best to seem nonchalant. “Yeah?” he said casually.

Goro's eyes seemed to bore into Yoichi's very soul. They did not look impressed with what they found there. “You are improperly dressed,” he stated.

Yoichi idly scratched his chest. “I was asleep.”

Goro checked his watch. “It's the middle of the afternoon.”

Yoichi shrugged. “So? I got no place to be, gramps.”

Goro narrowed his eyes at the name. “Actually,” he said, “you do.” He shoved the clipboard into Yoichi's bare chest, knocking him off balance slightly.

“What the hell is this?” Yoichi asked, looking down at the piece of paper attached to the clipboard. It was a lengthy printed list of tasks, from 'unblock gutters' to 'repaint fence'.

“Chores,” Goro said. “Yours. You will see to it that the list is completed by the end of the day.”

Yoichi scanned the page, feeling his anger build. “How come I get stuck with this crap? Doesn't Dynamite usually do this?”

Goro looked momentarily confused. “I'm not aware of any explosives on the premises.”

Yoichi sighed. “I meant Taiga.”

“I see. Mr Akatora has other engagements today. You will cover for him.”

“That's not fair! How come he gets to blow it off and I don't?!”

“Mr Akatora,” Goro said in a tone that brooked no argument, “does not expect us to let him live here.”

Yoichi had no comeback for that. He could only give a sullen glare.

Satisfied that he had made his point, Goro turned to leave. He took a few steps, paused, and turned back.

“Oh, and another thing,” he said. “Mister Akiba!” he called, raising his voice to be heard from the inside of Cabin One.

Slowly, Hiro's head appeared above the bedclothes. His eyes were wide and he looked pale and frightened.

“Y-yes, sir?” he said in a small voice.

“I would advise you to take Mr Yukimura underwear shopping at the nearest available opportunity,” Goro said dryly. “He appears to have outgrown this pair.”

Hiro blushed bright red.

Goro turned and walked away. Yoichi wasn't sure, but he thought he caught the faintest glimpse of a smirk on the departing camp owner's face.

“That fucking wrinkly old _jerk,_ ” Yoichi seethed, slamming the door closed behind him. “Can you believe it?! Sticking me with this bullshit!” He waved the clipboard angrily in the air. “That's our whole weekend, gone! Rrrrrgh! I _hate_ him!”

Hiro had his head in his hands.

“What's with you, Torch-head?” Yoichi asked.

Hiro looked up at him in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? That was the most embarrassing moment of my life!”

Yoichi frowned. “Really? That?”

“Yes!”

Yoichi thought for a second. “What about the time you snarted in the mess hall?”

“This was worse!”

“What about the time-”

_“Gaah! Stop listing things!”_ Hiro cried, collapsing back onto the bed.

Yoichi came and sat on the end of the bed. He read through the list of chores, shaking his head angrily.

“Man, this is gonna take me all _day_ ,” he complained.

Hiro got up and sat on the bed beside him. He peered over Yoichi's shoulder at the list. “Wow, that's a lot,” he agreed.

Yoichi grunted.

“Don't worry, Wolfboy,” Hiro said, giving him a consoling peck on the cheek. “I'll help you.”

Yoichi reacted with surprise. “You will?”

“Of course! That way we'll get it done in half the time. And we can still spend the day together!”

Yoichi smiled. It was a rare smile, absent of mockery or sarcasm, purely genuine and heartfelt. It was like seeing the sun break through the clouds after a storm. Hiro felt his tummy do a little flip.

“Thanks, Torch-head,” Yoichi said sincerely.

“Don't mention it. Do me a favour though?”

“Yeah?”

“Take off my underwear before you burst out of it.”

With Hiro's help, the chores went by surprisingly quickly. They repainted part of the outer fence, gathered up some trash that had blown in, mopped the mess hall floor and washed the windows of the Scoutmasters' offices. Despite the cool temperature, Yoichi was soon boiling hot from the exertion and stripped down to a tight black vest for the final chores. He was forced to put on a jacket after Hiro kept getting distracted and tripping over his own feet.

Finally, they came to the last task. They got the ladder out from storage and propped it up against the wall of the main building. Both Yoichi and Hiro stood for a couple of seconds, each waiting for the other to climb the ladder.

“Well? What're you waiting for?” Yoichi asked.

“Me? Why do I have to do it?” Hiro asked. “You go on up. I'll hold the ladder.”

“You're smaller and lighter. _I'll_ hold the ladder.”

“No fair! I don't wanna go up there. Those gutters look gross.”

“Well, _I_ don't wanna fall and break my neck 'cause you're too weak to hold up a ladder,” Yoichi retorted.

“Hmph! I am not!”

Yoichi set down the bucket and gloves, picked up the ladder easily, and offered it to Hiro. Hiro hesitated, then took it from him – or tried to. He staggered, fell backwards and would've landed on his ass had Yoichi not reached out with one arm and grabbed his shirt to hold him upright.

Hiro wordlessly handed the ladder back to Yoichi.

“Satisfied?”

“Hmph.”

Yoichi braced the ladder against the wall and watched Hiro climb it.

“Eww,” Hiro complained, grabbing a handful of leafy gunk out of the gutter with one gloved hand. “This is disgusting.”

“Quit complaining and get a move on, Torch-head! It's almost dark.”

Hiro threw the handful of leaf gunk. It splatted against Yoichi's forehead.

“Hey! What the hell?!”

“Oops!” Hiro called down mockingly. “Guess I missed the bucket!”

“Don't make me come up there!”

“I won't! The ladder couldn't take the weight of your big butt, remember?”

“My butt is perfect!” Yoichi snarled.

A stern cough caught the boys' attention. They glanced over their shoulders to see Goro observing them nearby.

“I trust you've almost completed the tasks I assigned you,” Goro said.

“Yeah, yeah, we're nearly done,” Yoichi replied. “Keep your hair on.”

Goro's eye twitched.

“This is the last one, sir!” Hiro called down.

The camp owner glanced up at Hiro. “I don't remember asking you to assist Mr Yukimura,” he said.

“Oh,” Hiro squeaked. “I – er, that is – we thought -”

“Save it, Torch-head,” Yoichi said. “It's getting done,” he said to Goro. “Isn't that what matters?”

Sir Goro grunted, whether in agreement or not it was hard to say.

“See that you finish soon,” the camp owner said. “It's not safe to be up there in the dark.”

“We will, sir,” Hiro said.

Yoichi said nothing.

Goro walked off. Yoichi made sure he was a safe distance away before muttering, “Jerkass.”

“Aw, he's not so bad,” Hiro said. “He's just strict.”

“He's a dick. You shouldn't let him intimidate you so much.”

“Well, I don't wanna piss him off. You've seen what he's like when he's angry. I don't want him to make trouble for you.”

“Oh. Right.” Yoichi cleared his throat. “Thanks.”

“Don't mention it. Hey, I think I found an old bird's nest, look!”

Hiro held it up for Yoichi to see.

Yoichi squinted in the darkness. “Is that a dead bird in it?”

“Huh?” Hiro looked closer. “Oh, god! Gross! Ew!”

He tossed it into the bucket, making retching sounds.

“Man, how the hell did Dynamite manage to squirm out of this,” Yoichi muttered.

Hiro was gulping breaths of air, trying to get over his nausea.

“I mean, I know he does a lot around here,” Yoichi said, “almost as much as Mr Perfect used to. But come on! This is a two-man job. He should've offered to help.”

Hiro pretended not to hear him, and went back to cleaning out the gutters.

“I guess he's too busy with his new boyfriend,” Yoichi said.

Hiro said nothing.

“They're still spending a lot of time together, huh?”

Hiro made a non-committal noise.

Yoichi sighed. “Torch-head, come on. It's been a month. You're _still_ sore about him dating Keitaro?”

“I'm not sore!” Hiro protested hotly. He threw some gutter-gunk into the bucket with a bit more violence than was necessary.

“Uh huh. Sounds like it.”

“I'm _not_! He just – he's not – he's a -”

“Yeah, yeah. No one is good enough for Saint Keitaro.”

“Well _he's_ definitely not good enough,” Hiro said venomously, and flung some of the gunk into the bucket with enough force to make some of it spatter on Yoichi.

“Hey! Watch it!”

“Sorry. That one was an accident.”

Hiro continued to clean out the gutters in silence for a few minutes. Yoichi let the silence build, knowing there would eventually be an outburst. Hiro could never contain himself for long on the subject of Taiga.

“I just don't know what he's _thinking_!” Hiro blurted at last, as Yoichi had expected. “He could have any guy he wanted! Why _Taiga_?”

Yoichi didn't reply. A reply wasn't usually required once Hiro got going.

“I know what _you're_ thinking,” Hiro said. “And the answer is no. I don't still have feelings for Keitaro. Not like that. We're just friends. I'm not _jealous._ I'm _not_!” Hiro shot down, as if Yoichi had contradicted him.

“I know,” Yoichi said mildly. “You got _me._ Compared to me, Frogboy's the consolation prize.”

Hiro snorted without amusement. “And Taiga's the _booby_ prize.” He paused, collecting his thoughts. “I mean, okay, fine: he's hot. Whatever. We're _all_ hot. But he's a complete psycho! And don't give me all that 'he's changed' crap. People don't change that much. Not that quickly. He's only changed how he _behaves_ , not who he _is_.”

Yoichi merely stood there, letting Hiro vent.

“Just you wait,” Hiro said. “Sure, everything's fine now. We're all friends and everything's lovely. But what happens when things go wrong? Couples argue. They fight. _We_ do it all the time! But there are limits. There are lines _we_ don't cross. Not with Taiga. What happens when Keitaro does something he doesn't like? What will the new and improved Taiga do then, huh? Will he be all kind and mature and understanding? Or will he snap back to being a crazy, two-faced, manipulative jerk?”

Yoichi shrugged. “I guess time will tell.”

“Screw that!” Hiro spat. “Keitaro's my friend! My best friend! And I'm not letting him get his heart broken by some guy who has to make an _effort_ just to act like a semi-decent person!”

“So what are you gonna do about it?” Yoichi asked.

Hiro sighed. “What _can_ I do? I can't bring it up with Keitaro. Any time we talk and Taiga comes up, I just try to change the subject. He won't listen to reason where that guy's concerned. He never did! Even before they were dating, he always wanted to give him the benefit of the doubt no matter what crazy stunt he pulled. He'll be even more deluded now.”

The last few handfuls of gutter-gunk landed in the bucket.

“Finished. I'm coming down.”

“Watch your step, Torch-head.”

Hiro descended the ladder. Yoichi grabbed him by the waist and hoisted him easily down the last few steps to the ground.

“I guess all I can do,” Hiro said thoughtfully, “is keep an eye on Keitaro. Look out for any signs that Taiga's up to no good.”

Yoichi raised an eyebrow. “You sure about this? Frogboy might not take too kindly to you interfering in his love life.”

“I won't interfere! I'll be subtle about it.”

“Uh huh. Subtle. _You.”_

“Hey, I can be subtle!”

“You're about as subtle as a kick in the nuts, Torch-head,” Yoichi said fondly.

“Hmph. Well, I'll try harder. In fact, I'm gonna go over there tonight! I haven't seen Keitaro since I left the capital. If Taiga's not here, he's probably at Keitaro's house. I could drop in, check on them, see how things are going. Wanna come?”

“I'd love to help you fuck up Frogboy's romance,” Yoichi said sarcastically, “but I can't tonight. I've still gotta walk the pups.”

“Fine. You do that, I'll check on Keitaro. I'll meet you back at the cabin later tonight, okay?”

“Cool. So you're staying over?”

“Only if Sir Goro doesn't catch me.”

“Pssh. Are you kidding? He'll probably be pressed up against the window, jerking off to us.”

“Ew! Wolfboy, that's so gross!”

Yoichi shrugged. He grabbed Hiro and pulled him in close.

“Eh, look at us,” he said, his face inches from Hiro's. “Could you blame him?”

They kissed.

“Guys! Hey, guys!” a voice called out. “Am I too late?”

Hiro and Yoichi pulled apart from their embrace. Taiga Akatora was running toward them across the camp-ground, waving.

Yoichi heard a low, guttural growling noise. For a second he thought one of the pups had wandered over in a bad mood. Then he realised the noise was coming from Hiro. He gently smacked his boyfriend on the ass and muttered, “Play nice.”

“Hmph.”

Hiro stopped growling, but his expression remained unwelcoming.

Taiga finally arrived, panting, and stopped to catch his breath, bent over with his hands on his knees. Yoichi waited for him to recover.

“Crap,” Taiga said at last, “did you have to do it all by yourself?”

Yoichi shrugged. “Didn't have much choice. The old man barged in and ordered me to get on with it. Hiro helped.”

“Shit, I'm sorry,” Taiga said, seeming genuinely apologetic. “Yoshinori asked me to do that stuff earlier in the week, and I completely forgot I had something else to do today. I got here as quickly as I could.”

“Don't worry about it,” Yoichi said. “Should get gramps off my back for a few days, at least.”

“Still, I feel bad for taking up your day,” Taiga said. “Especially when Hiro's visiting! You guys don't get to spend that much time together in the first place!”

“No,” Hiro said pointedly. “We don't.”

“Let me make it up to you,” Taiga said. “Keitaro and I were planning on trying that new burger place that's opened up tonight. Wanna come with us? Dinner's on me!”

“Thanks,” Hiro said, “but we -”

“We'd love to,” Yoichi cut in.

Hiro glared at him.

Taiga looked between them both, aware something was amiss but not quite sure what.

“Yoichi!” Hiro said. “We have that _thing_ , remember?”

“The _thing_ can wait,” Yoichi insisted. “I'm not gonna turn down free food. Besides, Hiro here was just saying how much he wanted to spend more time with you and Keitaro. Really get to know you better, Dynamite. Weren't you, Hiro?”

“He was?” Taiga asked, still uncertain.

“Mmhmm,” Hiro said, his lips pressed tight with anger.

“Well, that's great!” Taiga said, clapping his hands together. “I gotta go get changed, and I'm sure you guys want to freshen up after dealing with all of those chores. Should we meet outside the place in, say, an hour?”

“Sounds good! See you then, Dynamite!”

“Cool! Later, guys!”

Taiga ran off back the way he came.

Hiro waited until he was barely out of earshot before rounding on Yoichi.

“What the _hell_ , man?!” Hiro cried, smacking Yoichi on the arm. “I don't wanna go for dinner with that jerk!”

“First of all, _ow,_ ” Yoichi said. “Secondly, you _were_ just talking about how you wanted to keep an eye on Keitaro and Taiga, weren't you? Make sure he's not up to no good?”

“Well, yeah, but -”

“So what're you bitching about? Here's the perfect opportunity. And frankly, Torch-head, the sooner you get over this crap the better. Taiga's not a bad guy, not any more. I'm sick of listening to you complain about him.”

“Hmph. Fine. But I'm not happy about this.”

“Yeah, I picked up on that. Who knows, it might even be fun! At least we'll get a decent meal out of it. That burger place is supposed to be _good_.”

Hiro's stomach growled, betraying him. “Quiet, you,” he muttered, glancing down at his abdomen.

Yoichi put his arm around the younger boy's shoulders. “Look, man, I'm sorry for selling you out like that, but I had to do _something._ Just relax and try to enjoy yourself, okay?”

“Enjoy myself!” Hiro spat sarcastically. “Sure. No problem. I'm only going on a double date with my ex-boyfriend and his _new_ boyfriend, the guy who bullied us all summer.” He snorted contemptuously.

“What could possibly go wrong?”

“Did I screw up?” Taiga asked.

“Huh? No. No!” Keitaro said. “It's just ...”

Taiga sighed and sat down beside Keitaro on his bed. “You told me to wait, I know. I just – panicked. I felt so guilty, having them both doing my chores for me. And if you saw how Hiro _looked_ at me ...” He trailed off, remembering, and shuddered. “He hates me, Keitaro. And I guess I deserve it. I was terrible to you guys.”

“Oh, Taiga,” Keitaro said, and put his arm around his boyfriend's shoulders, pulling him into as comforting embrace. Taiga allowed his head to rest against Keitaro's.

They were in Keitaro's bedroom. Happy, brightly-coloured frogs smiled down at them from every available surface – frog plushies lined up on the desk, frog posters hanging on the walls, even a froggy pattern on the bedclothes. Keitaro was wearing comfortable frog-themed pyjamas and his feet were covered in cosy, frog-shaped slippers.

“Do you think he'll ever forgive me?” Taiga asked.

“He will,” Keitaro said, “but, Taiga, you have to understand. Hiro's been my best friend for a long time, and I know him pretty well. He's a very – emotional person. It takes a long time for him to change his mind about anyone.”

“How long? A year? Five years? Ten?”

Keitaro chuckled. “Well, hopefully not as long as that. But trust me, he'll come around. Eventually, he'll see the kind of person you truly are. And then he'll be the most loyal friend you could ever ask for.”

“I hope you're right.”

“I am. Believe me.”

“I just … I don't know if I _deserve_ a second chance.”

“If you didn't, we wouldn't be here right now,” Keitaro said, and kissed the top of Taiga's forehead.

Taiga smiled slightly, feeling a bit better. “Huh. I guess that's true. _You_ forgave me, right?”

“I did. You just need to win Hiro over like you won me over.”

Taiga nodded. “I see what you're saying,” he said seriously. “I need to seduce Hiro.”

Keitaro burst out laughing. “Maybe we'll call that Plan B,” he said. He glanced at the froggy clock on the wall. “Gosh, I'd better get dressed! We don't want to be late for our first double date!”

“I think you should keep on the froggy pyjamas,” Taiga teased. “You look adorable. Might help soften Hiro up a bit for me.”

“Taiga ...”

“What? Come on, you _know_ he still has a bit of a crush on you. I don't care what you guys say, you don't move on from a relationship that intense so quickly. You're not that easy to get over, dummy.”

Keitaro giggled. “Hiro really wouldn't like hearing you call me that.”

Taiga's hand reached up and started unbuttoning Keitaro's pyjamas. “Well, he's not here right now, too bad for him,” he whispered into Keitaro's ear. “Come on, we still have plenty of time. Let me help you get undressed.”

Keitaro started to protest, but then Taiga's hands were inside his shirt, caressing his stomach, moving upward, seeking out his nipples. Then Taiga's lips were touching his, and before he knew it everything else had melted away.

The doorbell rang as Hiro was getting out of the shower. Cursing, he wrapped a towel around his waist and ran downstairs to answer it.

He opened the door, dripping wet.

A stranger stood in the doorway.

“Who the hell are you?” Hiro demanded, looking the stranger up and down.

“Very funny, Torch-head,” Yoichi said.

Hiro had run home to shower and change for the double date, leaving Yoichi behind to get ready at Camp Buddy. Once he was ready, they'd arranged for Yoichi to join Hiro at his house before the two of them met up with Keitaro and Taiga. Hiro had dithered over what to wear, wanting to make a good impression without looking like he was trying too hard, only to realise he'd almost run out of time to shower. He'd barely finished rinsing himself off when Yoichi arrived, scrubbed and changed.

And _boy_ he had changed.

Hiro hadn't known Yoichi possessed any nice clothes. He mostly wore old scouting uniforms in various stages of shabbiness, patched and stained from his rough-and-tumble lifestyle. When you spent most of your time outdoors playing with a gang of dogs, Yoichi said, there wasn't much point in wearing fancy clothes.

Yet clearly he'd been shopping recently. He was wearing a simple black shirt, jeans and brown leather shoes. Nothing fancy, but on him they looked amazing. The shirt was a perfect fit, tight enough to show off every splendid inch of Yoichi's muscles, but without looking like it was going to burst open at any moment. Yoichi was standing slightly to one side, allowing Hiro to see the way the jeans cupped the perfectly sculpted curve of his beautiful ass.

The transformation didn't extend only to his clothes. Yoichi smelled – _wonderful._ Getting him to take regular baths was usually a fight, and it was never long before he started smelling of wet dog and sweat again. Hiro actually quite liked those smells, but he couldn't get over the scent wafting from Yoichi right now. He smelled not just clean but enticing, a heady mixture of body-wash, deodorant and what seemed to be aftershave.

And his hair! Somehow, through a miracle of styling wax and brute force, Yoichi had managed to tame his unruly purple tufts into a sleek, stylish quiff that only accentuated his intense violet eyes and perfect cheekbones.

Yoichi glared under this scrutiny, but was also blushing slightly.

“Well?” he demanded. “You gonna let me in, or stand there half-naked until you catch pneumonia?!”

“Huh?” Hiro said. Then he came to his senses. “Oh! Right! Come in.”

Hiro stood aside and allowed Yoichi to enter. He continued to stare at him as he walked past while closing the door.

“Yoichi, you look _amazing,_ ” Hiro breathed.

Yoichi shrugged. “Brokeback took me shopping for my last birthday. Didn't have a reason to wear it before now. I _wanted_ a new _bike_ ,” he added, annoyed. He glanced at Hiro, dripping wet and clad only in a towel. “That what you're wearing?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Huh? Oh! No. I gotta finish getting ready. Just – wow. I mean, really, dude! _Wow._ ”

Yoichi's blush deepened. “Yeah, well,” he said, clearing his throat. “Can't let the team down, right?”

Yoichi followed Hiro into his old bedroom as the younger boy whipped off his towel and started drying himself with it. The house had been shut up while Hiro and his mom spent most of their time in the capital, leaving it with a slightly musty, uninhabited smell.

“You got anything to wear, or are all your clothes back at the apartment?” Yoichi asked.

“I have a few things laid out on the bed there,” Hiro said, drying his hair. “Help me pick, willya?”

Yoichi gave the options a glance. “Too bright,” he said. “Too formal. And do these even fit you any more?” he asked, holding up a pair of skinny jeans.

“Huh?” Hiro asked. “Of course they fit me. I just got those last summer.”

“And have you worn them since?”

“Um, no. I left them here when we moved to the capital. Why?”

“Nothing.”

“Yoichi!”

“What?”

“What are you saying?!”

“I'm not saying anything!”

Hiro stood with his arms on his hips, frowning. “You clearly are!”

Instead of replying, Yoichi reached across and pinched Hiro's tummy.

“Ow! Hey, stop that!”

“I'm just sayin', Torch-head, you might need to move up a size since last summer ...”

“What?! Are you calling me fat?!”

“No! You're not fat.”

“Hmph! I know I'm not!”

“You've just put on a couple of pounds.”

_“What?!_ I have not!”

Yoichi shrugged. “Okay. Wear those, then.”

Hiro glared at him. Yoichi looked back, a neutral expression on his face, giving nothing away.

“They don't go with my shoes,” Hiro muttered, turning away.

“Okayyy...”

“I can't believe you!” Hiro snapped, whirling around again. “I tell you how amazing you look, and all you can do is insult me! Right before I have to go and pretend to be nice to that stupid jerk Taiga! As if I wasn't already upset enough!”

“I didn't insult you,” Yoichi said mildly.

“You called me fat!”

“I _didn't_ ,” Yoichi insisted. “You're still a skinny little stick. You're just carrying a few more inches around the belly than you were a few months ago. Are you surprised? I mean, come on, man. You eat like crap and you don't exercise. Even _your_ metabolism can't fight it off forever.” He sighed. “I shouldn't have said anything.”

Hiro looked down at his naked body. The fight seemed to have suddenly gone out of him.

“Do you … do you not like me any more?” he asked in a small voice.

“What the hell are you talking about? Of course I like you. You're cute as fuck. You just can't fit into those jeans.”

“Oh.”

Yoichi opened the wardrobe doors, rifled through the options, and laid out a pair of chinos on the bed. He found a white shirt to go with them.

“Here,” he said. “Wear these. You'll look amazing.”

Hiro was still looking sadly down at his naked body.

_Ah, fuck,_ Yoichi thought.

He came over and grabbed Hiro by the crotch. He took Hiro's hand and placed it on his own crotch.

“Feel that?” he asked.

Wide-eyed, Hiro nodded.

“You might not believe me, but you believe him, right?” Yoichi asked.

Hiro half-smiled.

“You're hot, Torch-head. Don't get all crazy and insecure. I was being stupid. I spoke without thinking. I do that sometimes. Don't let it get to you, all right?”

Hiro nodded. A strange expression was coming over his face.

“What?” Yoichi asked. “What's that look for?”

“Oh, nothing,” Hiro said, smiling. “Just wondering who this sensitive, mature guy I'm dating is and where he came from. Whatever happened to the big, dumb cave-boy I fell for, huh?”

“Jeez, Torch-head. First I was a jungle-boy, then a wolfboy, and now I'm a cave-boy?”

Hiro giggled. “Hey, if the loincloth fits.” His amber eyes sparkled with mischief. “Ohh, that gives me a _great_ idea for when we get home tonight. How about it, Caveboy? You like the idea of a little prehistoric role-play?”

Yoichi chuckled but shook his head. “I yabba dabba don't,” he said.

Hiro laughed. “Aw, Wolfboy, you're no fun,” he said, and went to get dressed. He kept up a happy expression as long as Yoichi was in sight, but once his back was turned the smile faltered and fell off his face.

“Yoichi! Lookin' pretty slick, man!”

“Keep it in your pants, Dynamite.”

“Hiro! It's good to see you!”

“Awww, you too, Keitaro!” They hugged.

“Frogboy.” Yoichi nodded in greeting.

“Hey, Yoichi,” Keitaro replied. “Good to see you again!”

Taiga offered Hiro a friendly smile. Hiro nodded back, without smiling, and looked away.

The four of them fell into step with each other as they began walking along the street. It was too crowded for them to walk as a foursome, so they naturally split into two groups. Keitaro and Hiro took the lead, talking animatedly, while Taiga and Yoichi followed behind. Taiga slowed his pace a bit, allowing the distance between him, Keitaro and Hiro to lengthen. Yoichi noticed, matched his own pace to Taiga's and looked at him questioningly.

“Dude, can I ask you something?” Taiga said, his voice lowered.

“What's up?” Yoichi asked.

Taiga took a deep breath. “Was this a terrible idea?”

Yoichi looked ahead, not meeting Taiga's gaze. “Nah. I'm starving.”

“C'mon, man, you know what I mean. Your boyfriend hates my guts, doesn't he?”

Yoichi took a little too long to think of a response to that.

“Gah, I knew it!” Taiga exclaimed. “I'm such an idiot. Keitaro _said_ I should've given him more time. This is gonna be so awkward,” he moaned.

“Look,” Yoichi said, “he's not your biggest fan, okay? But he'll get over it. I'm pretty sure he hated me at first, too.”

“Heh. That's true. Keitaro said you guys used to fight all the time.”

“Well, he was annoying,” Yoichi said, defensively. “And it was fun annoying him back. Anyway, don't stress about it. You're buying him dinner, right? Food's a good way to win Torch-head over.”

“That how you did it?”

Yoichi smirked. “There are other ways,” he said.

Their conversation ended as they caught up with Keitaro and Hiro, who had stopped in the middle of the street.

“What's going on?” Taiga asked.

“Looks like it's gonna be a long wait,” Keitaro said, pointing.

Taiga groaned. The line outside the restaurant was snaking halfway down the street.

“Aw, man, this sucks!” he cried. “It's gonna be ages before we can get a table.”

“Well, I guess it only opened pretty recently,” Keitaro said. “Everyone's still eager to try it out.”

Yoichi's stomach growled audibly. “I'm warning you guys right now, if we're waiting here too long I'm gonna have to eat at least one of you.”

“What should we do?” Keitaro asked. “Do you wanna try somewhere else?”

Taiga looked unhappy. “Man, I was really looking forward to a cheeseburger,” he complained.

Keitaro giggled. “You had a cheeseburger last night.”

“Not from this place!” Taiga protested. “Besides, by now everywhere else is probably just as busy.”

“Should we put it to a vote?” Keitaro asked.

“I vote we stay,” Taiga said. “Yoichi?”

Yoichi took a big whiff of the smells coming from the restaurant's kitchen. “Fuck it,” he said. “I'm starving, but that smells _good_. Stay.”

“Awesome! Hiro?” Taiga asked.

Hiro shrugged. “I don't care.”

“C'mon, you can't abstain!” Taiga said encouragingly. “Stay or go?”

“Whatever you guys wanna do,” Hiro said tonelessly, and looked away.

There was an awkward silence for a moment.

“Well, if you guys want to stay, then I'm in,” Keitaro said, breaking the silence. “Besides, it probably won't be too long! It looks like the queue's moving at a decent pace.”

Over half an hour passed in the queue, shuffling along step by step every few minutes. As they got closer to the door the food smells intensified, solidifying their decision to keep queueing. They talked comfortably amongst themselves as a group – all except Hiro, who spent most of his time staring at the ground, or at his phone, offering only a few brief responses when prompted, and then mostly directed at Keitaro.

“What's with you?” Yoichi hissed from the corner of his mouth, drawing Hiro to one side. Keitaro and Taiga were occupied in searching for online reviews of the restaurant on their phones, giving Hiro and Yoichi a moment to talk privately.

“Nothing,” Hiro muttered.

“Don't give me that,” Yoichi whispered. “You're being quiet. _Really_ quiet. And you're _never_ quiet. I once had to shush you while you were giving me head!”

Hiro shrugged.

Yoichi stared at him, having exhausted his words. If the roles were reversed, he thought, Hiro would know just what to say to draw out whatever was bugging him. Yoichi didn't have the same skill with communication. It was taking all his self control not to just smack Hiro round the head and tell him to get over it.

“Taiga's not a bad guy,” was all Yoichi could say. “He doesn't deserve how you're acting. Not any more.”

Hiro glared at him. Yoichi was almost glad to have at least gotten some kind of response.

“And Frogboy _definitely_ doesn't deserve you acting like this. Can't you just be polite? For his sake?”

That hit home. Hiro thought for a few moments. Then he nodded.

“Found it!” Taiga called over, holding up his phone as evidence. “Five stars! They say the cheeseburgers are _amazing_!”

Hiro and Yoichi had stepped away from the queue for their private conversation. They moved to rejoin it now. Yoichi stopped as someone put a hand on his chest. He looked up to see the hand belonged to a young, angry-looking guy in his twenties, who had been behind them in the queue.

“Hey! No cutting in!” Mr Angry said.

“Oh, no, dude, it's fine, they're with us,” Taiga explained.

“I don't care!” the angry guy said. “You can't save people a spot!”

“We've been right in front of you for half an hour, dumbass,” Yoichi snapped. “We just stepped out of line for a minute.”

“And now you can go to the _back_ of the line, _dumbass,_ ” the angry guy snapped back. He stepped closer to Yoichi, his chest pressed up to Yoichi's own. He had a couple of inches on Yoichi in height, but wasn't quite as well built. “You snooze, you lose,” he added for emphasis.

Yoichi's anger flared up. It had been quietly bubbling away in the background all night, looking for an outlet, and now it had found one.

But before he could say or do anything, Taiga exploded first.

“Listen, _jackass!”_ Taiga snarled, reaching forward and shoving the angry guy backwards. “We were here first! You'd know that if you'd open your fucking eyes! So make your choice – you can either shut the fuck up and _keep_ your spot, or you can go to the back of the fucking line with my _foot_ up your ass!”

Mr Angry blinked, his aggression failing in the face of Mr Even Angrier.

“Well?!” Taiga demanded. “What's it gonna be, huh?!”

Mr Formerly Angry turned pale and stammered an apology. There was a sheen of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

“That's what I thought,” Taiga barked at him, and turned away.

Keitaro placed a concerned hand on Taiga's shoulder and murmured something in his ear. “I'm fine!” Taiga said curtly. He shook his head, trying to cool down. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have lost my temper,” he said to Keitaro. “I know. Sorry. I'm working on it.”

Hiro locked eyes with Yoichi.

Torch-head didn't say anything. But then he didn't really have to.


	2. The Hangry Games

After about thirty-five minutes of waiting, just as they were about to give up hope, a large party left the restaurant, freeing up several tables at once. Everyone eagerly followed the waitress to their table, the awkwardness of the encounter outside momentarily forgotten as the prospect of getting some food finally became a reality.

The Rock Hard Cafe was an American-style diner, with a jukebox in the corner and rock 'n' roll memorabilia plastered all over the walls. The boys took their seats around the table in the same formation as before, Hiro placing himself between Keitaro and Yoichi, sitting as far away from Taiga as possible.

“Are you guys ready to order, or do you need a few minutes with the menu?” the waitress asked.

“Nah, we all had a look on our phones while we were waiting to get in,” Taiga explained. “Oh man, I can't wait to try this thing they have,” he told the others. “They call it a Volcano Cheeseburger. Tabasco sauce, chillies and peppers embedded right in the bun. A guy I know had one, and afterwards he said he could taste _colours!”_

“Hmmm, sounds a little spicy for me,” Keitaro said, studying the menu. “I think I'll stick with the chicken burger.”

“That's appropriate,” Taiga teased. “What about you, Yoichi? You brave enough to try the Volcano?”

“Sure, count me in,” Yoichi said. “I'm starving after all those chores.”

“Awesome! Hiro?” Taiga asked. “You're bound to be up for it!”

“I'll just have a salad,” Hiro responded, handing his menu to the waitress.

The others laughed.

“Ha, good one!” Taiga said.

Hiro remained stony-faced.

“Wait, you're serious?!” Taiga exclaimed unbelievingly. Hiro nodded.

“Hiro? Are you feeling okay?” Keitaro asked, concerned.

“I'm just trying to eat a little more healthily,” Hiro replied, pointedly not looking at Yoichi.

“Oh. Well, good for you, Hiro!” Keitaro said, though he looked unconvinced.

“Aw, man. Maybe bringing you here wasn't such a good idea, then,” Taiga added.

Hiro shrugged.

Yoichi leaned across and whispered to him, “That's really all you want, Torch-head? A little salad?”

“And a glass of water,” Hiro said, addressing the waitress instead of Yoichi. “Please.”

Ignored, Yoichi settled back into his seat and muttered, “Okayyy...”

“So, what've you guys been up to lately?” Taiga asked brightly, pretending not to have noticed Hiro and Yoichi's interaction. He directed the question to them both, hoping to get everyone talking to each other and prevent them from splitting back into two groups.

Hiro didn't immediately answer. Yoichi was momentarily thrown off guard, used as he was to Hiro doing most of the talking. “Uh, you know, same old, same old,” Yoichi said awkwardly. “Taking care of the pups. Trying to keep out of Brokeback's way.”

“The pups must be so big now!” Keitaro said.

“Yeah, they're huge,” Yoichi said. He dug out his phone and passed it around. “I took these pics this morning. Just, ah, make sure you only swipe to the right, guys,” he warned.

Taiga snickered. “Noted,” he said.

“Aw, they're so cute!” Keitaro exclaimed. “Which one is this?” he asked, holding up a photo of a pup playing in a puddle.

“That's Torch-head Junior,” Yoichi said. “Mr Perfect is in the next one, the video of him playing dead when I pretend to shoot him with my finger.”

Keitaro watched the video and was delighted. “Yoichi, that's so adorable!”

“Thanks. I couldn't get a picture of Twinkerbell, he's too shy. The last one is Keichi.”

“Man, I'm not sure how happy I am with that name,” Taiga joked. “Right, Hiro?”

Hiro only shrugged.

“We've got to visit them again soon,” Keitaro said to Taiga. “It's been too long since I went back to camp to see everyone.”

“Yeah, we figured you guys were finding other 'activities' to keep yourselves busy,” Yoichi said suggestively.

“N-no, it's not just that,” Keitaro said, blushing and laughing a little. He glanced at Taiga for confirmation. “Can I tell them?” he asked.

Taiga nodded.

“Tell us what?” Yoichi asked, suspicious. “You two getting engaged or something?”

“Nothing like that,” Taiga said, laughing. “It's just a little project I've been working on lately. It's nothing really, Keitaro's just making a big deal out of it.”

“It _is_ a big deal!” Keitaro insisted. “You should be really proud of yourself, Taiga!” He turned to Hiro and Yoichi and explained, “He made a chair!”

Yoichi frowned. “A chair? Like, to sit in?”

“Yeah! Look!” Keitaro said, holding out his own phone for Hiro and Yoichi to see. “Isn't it really neat? He made it with his own hands!”

“Huh. Nice work, Dynamite.”

“Cool,” Hiro said, barely glancing at the picture.

“Thanks, guys,” Taiga said, embarrassed. “It's just something I was fooling around with in my spare time. I found I really started to enjoy making things with my hands when we were doing some of the activities at Camp. And, well, before I knew it I'd worked my way up to that. I posted a few pictures online and a guy actually contacted me to ask if he could buy it!”

“I didn't know that!” Keitaro exclaimed. “Taiga! That's fantastic! I'm so proud of you!”

“Congrats, man,” Yoichi said.

“Thanks,” Taiga replied, pleased. “That's actually where I was this morning. The guy wanted to meet up and see it in person, which is why I wasn't able to make it to Camp Buddy in time to do those chores. Sorry about that again, guys,” Taiga apologised.

Yoichi waved him away. Hiro said nothing.

“It's got me thinking, you know?” Taiga went on. “About what I want to do with the rest of my life. Maybe I could, like, make stuff. I really enjoy it. Do you guys ever think about that? About what you want to do next?”

“Ugh, it stresses me out thinking about the future,” Keitaro said. “And I don't really have a skill like you do, Taiga.”

“Sure you do! What about your photography?” Taiga asked. “You're great at that! You took the pictures that sold my chair! And those pictures you took of everyone last summer were awesome!”

“Yeah, _were_ awesome,” Hiro muttered. “Shame about what happened to them.”

Everyone else pretended not to hear his comment.

“Aw, thanks, Taiga,” Keitaro said. “But that's really more of a hobby. I don't know that I'm good enough to be a professional.”

“Well, you won't know until you try!” Taiga said encouragingly. “What about you guys? Yoichi, you seem to be really good with animals. Maybe you could do something with that?”

“Like what?” Yoichi asked, sceptical.

“Um, I don't know. Like, training police dogs! Or, oh, training animals to do stunts for movies!”

“Yeah, I'll get right on that, Dynamite,” Yoichi said sarcastically.

“Well, what about dog walking then? Or dog-sitting! You could work at one of those kennels that takes care of people's pets while they're on vacation!”

Yoichi looked like he wanted to make another sarcastic reply, but stopped and became thoughtful instead.

“And Hiro!” Taiga continued with energetic enthusiasm. “You must want to be a chef, right?”

Everyone looked at Hiro.

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“ _Maybe_?!” Taiga said in disbelief. “Why maybe? Your food is amazing, man! You guys are just full of excuses! What could possibly be stopping you?!”

_Uh-oh,_ Yoichi thought. _Bad move, Dynamite._

Keitaro winced. He tried to signal to Taiga to drop the subject without Hiro noticing.

Taiga, however, seemed oblivious. He was looking at Hiro with an expression of friendly encouragement.

Hiro narrowed his eyes, glaring back at him. “My _mom_ ,” Hiro said angrily. “She's sick. I have to take care of her. That's what's _stopping_ me.”

His reply brought the conversation to an abrupt halt. Taiga was completely taken aback, both by his own mistake and the obvious hostility in Hiro's tone.

Silence fell around the table. Yoichi and Keitaro caught each other's eye and shared a look of mutual awkwardness.

“Oh, uh, shit, r-right,” Taiga stammered, floundering. A blush was creeping over his face. “I-I forgot about your mom. Keitaro told me about that – that whole situation. Shit, man. Sorry.” He looked like he wanted to hide underneath the table.

Hiro lowered his eyes and said nothing. Taiga coughed and fidgeted with his hair, visibly squirming with embarrassment.

“How _is_ your mom?” Keitaro asked softly. “She was doing a little better last time I talked to you.”

Hiro fiddled with his cutlery. “She has good days and bad days,” he said. Talking to Keitaro, his anger seemed to have ebbed away. “She's responding well to the treatment. The doctors say she might be able to move back home some time in the new year.”

“That's great, Hiro!” Keitaro cried. He reached across the table and grasped Hiro's hand, surprising him. “When you talk to her, tell her I hope she feels better soon.”

Hiro smiled, his first positive emotional reaction of the evening. “Thanks, Keitaro. She'll like that. She always remembers to ask me about you.”

While the two of them shared this little moment, Yoichi observed it in silence and Taiga stared miserably into his own lap.

Fortunately, at that moment the waitress arrived with their food, providing a welcome distraction.

The conversation resumed as they began their meal – or, rather, two conversations resumed. Taiga talked to Yoichi on one side of the table, while Hiro and Keitaro conversed on the other.

The meal continued without incident.

“Oh man, I'm stuffed,” Taiga announced, throwing down his fork onto an empty plate. “That burger was _amazing_.”

“It was pretty good,” Yoichi agreed, picking his teeth with a toothpick. “Not as spicy as I'd hoped for.”

While they argued about who liked the spiciest food, Keitaro glanced at Hiro, who was picking at his largely untouched salad with an unhappy expression on his face.

“Are you sure you don't want some of my chicken, Hiro?” Keitaro asked gently. “There's loads left, but I'm already full. It's really good!”

Hiro looked at the food on Keitaro's plate with obvious longing, but shook his head.

“Well, do you want to split a dessert with me?” Keitaro asked. “Those sundaes the table next to us ordered look really yummy!”

“No, thanks,” Hiro said quietly.

“Hiro,” Keitaro said, lowering his voice so that only he would hear, “it's good that you want to be healthy, but you can't starve yourself.”

“I'm fine,” Hiro replied, not meeting Keitaro's eyes. “I had a big lunch.”

“Well, _I_ could go for a dessert,” Taiga declared. “How bout you, Yoichi? My treat, don't forget!”

“Maybe we should just get the bill,” Keitaro said, indicating toward Hiro with his eyes. “It's getting late, if we still want to make it to Sally's Alley.”

“Oh, right,” Taiga said, understanding that Keitaro didn't want to prolong Hiro's diet torture. “I'll go and get the waitress.” He stood up and left.

“What's Sally's Alley?” Yoichi asked.

“It's a bowling alley,” Keitaro explained. “Hiro and I used to go all the time when we were kids. Remember, Hiro?”

Hiro smiled. “Of course I do.”

“Taiga and I were thinking it might be a fun thing to do after we ate,” Keitaro said. “I mean, if you guys wanted to.”

“Sure, sounds like fun,” Yoichi said. “Right, Torch-head?”

“Yeah, why not,” Hiro said, answering Keitaro and ignoring Yoichi. “Might be nice to relive some old memories.”

“Yay!” Keitaro cried, clapping his hands. “This will be so much fun! I haven't been bowling in years!”

“Not since my thirteenth birthday, right?” Hiro asked, smiling fondly.

“Oh my goodness, is that really how long it's been?” Keitaro exclaimed. “I think you're right!”

“My mom booked out the whole place and invited everyone from my class, but I only wanted to play with you,” Hiro said, remembering.

“And you got a strike, didn't you?”

“You _do_ remember!” Hiro cried, delighted.

“Of course I do!” Keitaro replied, also smiling. “What about you, Yoichi? Have you ever been bowling?”

“Just once,” Yoichi said. “Brokeback took me and a few guys from camp a few years back. Asshole in charge of the place wouldn't let me bring Yuki inside, even though it was raining! So I threw one of the balls at his head.”

Keitaro was shocked. “Yoichi! That's terrible!”

“Yeah. We had to leave after that. Never actually got to do any bowling. Lifetime ban.”

“Oh no! Not from Sally's Alley?”

“Nah. Some place on the other side of town. Flynn's Pins, it was called.”

“Well, just promise me you won't do anything like that tonight,” Keitaro said, laughing nervously.

“Hey, I was just a dumb kid back then. I know better nowadays.”

Keitaro chuckled. “I guess that's true. You have matured a lot recently.”

“Yeah, I was an idiot. You don't attack someone with a bowling ball. They're too heavy to aim properly. You can do a lot more damage with one of the pins.” He mimed swinging it like a baseball bat.

“Yoichi …” Keitaro said, shaking his head.

Taiga returned. “Bill's paid,” he said. “You guys ready to leave?”

“Yep! Let's go bowling!” Keitaro cried.

“Awesome! You guys in too? Hiro? Yoichi?”

“Sure, why not?” Yoichi said.

Hiro only shrugged.

“So, how do you wanna do this?” Taiga asked as everyone was putting on their bowling shoes. “Couple versus couple?”

“I wanna be on Keitaro's team!” Hiro interjected, putting his arm around Keitaro's shoulders.

Taiga was surprised, while Yoichi looked a little put out.

“Oh, uh, okay, I guess,” Taiga said. “You've never bowled before, right, Yoichi?” he asked.

“Nah. But how hard can it be?” Yoichi gestured at his own body and then at some of the fat, middle-aged men playing in a nearby lane.

“It's harder than you think, Yoichi,” Keitaro said. “It took me a little while to get used to it!”

“Yeah, but I'm surprised those scrawny arms of yours can even pick up a bowling ball,” Yoichi retorted.

“Well, I've never bowled before either,” Taiga said to Yoichi. “I guess that puts us at kind of a disadvantage, bro.”

“Against this couple of twinks?” Yoichi said, gesturing at Keitaro and Hiro. “Pssh. Please. We'll destroy 'em.”

“Hey!” Keitaro protested. “I've been working out a little! I'm pretty sure I'm at least a twunk by now!”

“Sure you are, babe,” Taiga said, giving Keitaro a playful kiss on the cheek. Keitaro jokingly stuck his tongue out at him.

“Don't be so sure about beating us,” Hiro said in a sing-song voice. His competitive streak seemed to have slightly roused him from his bad mood, he and Yoichi falling easily into their old rivalry. “Keitaro's really good. And I'm _awesome_ at bowling.”

Yoichi snorted contemptuously.

“Well, let's go grab our lane,” Keitaro cut in, trying to distract them both before things got heated.

“You sure you understand the rules okay, Yoichi?” Taiga asked as they took their seats.

“Yeah. You throw the white long things at the round ball thing, right?” Yoichi replied with heavy sarcasm.

“Uh, close, but not exactly!” Keitaro said.

“Don't worry, buddy, you'll get it eventually,” Taiga teased.

“I was kidding, you assholes,” Yoichi muttered. “I'm not _that_ dumb.”

“What should we name our teams?” Keitaro asked, hovering over the computer touchscreen attached to their lane's scoreboard.

“Oh! Oh! The Best Friends Squad!” Hiro cried excitedly.

“I dunno if Yoichi is my _best_ friend,” Taiga said.

“Fuck you too, Dynamite,” Yoichi said with a smile. Taiga laughed.

“I meant for _our_ team,” Hiro said.

“I know, I know. I was joking. Type it in, Keitaro.”

Keitaro tapped the screen. “Done. What about you guys? Taiga? Yoichi? Any ideas?”

“Hmmm.” Taiga cupped his chin in thought.

“I got it,” Yoichi said. “Bros Before Keitaros.”

Taiga laughed. “Yes! Put that!”

“Hard not to take that personally, guys,” Keitaro laughed as he typed it in. “Done! Now I just have to enter the names of each team member, and – there we go! We're ready to play!”

“Keitaro, wait,” Hiro said, looking closer at the screen. “You did it wrong! Look! We're not on the same team!”

“Huh?” Keitaro peered at the layout. “Oh no! How do I go back and change it?”

He pressed buttons fruitlessly for a few minutes. Nothing seemed to work.

“Here, let me try,” Hiro said, pushing in. He jabbed his finger at the touchscreen repeatedly. “Rrrgh! Nothing's happening! Why won't this stupid thing work?!”

“You froze it, Torch-head,” Yoichi said. “Good job.”

“Damn it! This sucks!” Hiro cried. He looked around desperately. “We don't have to do what the screen says, though, right? We can just play in our original teams and keep score by ourselves.”

“I dunno, Hiro,” Keitaro said thoughtfully. “It might be fun to mix things up a little. Besides, this way each team has one experienced member and one first timer! It's more fair.”

“But I wanted to be on your team,” Hiro said, pouting.

“We're still playing together! Come on, this will be fun!”

“Welcome to the winning side, Frogboy,” Yoichi said, coming over and putting his arm over Keitaro's shoulders. Hiro glared at him.

“Guess it's you and me then, huh?” Taiga said, joining Hiro and giving him a hesitant smile. “Hope you don't mind giving me a few tips! I'm a total beginner.”

Hiro grunted something unintelligible and went to grab his bowling ball. Yoichi followed him.

“I'm onto your little game,” Taiga whispered to Keitaro. “You did that on purpose, right?”

“I don't know _what_ you're talking about,” Keitaro said innocently. “It was an honest mistake.” He paused, acting as though an idea had just struck him. “ _Although,_ it couldn't hurt for you and Hiro to get to know each other a little better, now, could it?” He giggled.

“Uh huh,” Taiga said. “Real clever. I hope things work out better with your next boyfriend, after Hiro beats me to death with a bowling ball.”

“You'll be fine, Taiga,” Keitaro said, giving him a peck on the cheek. “If there's one thing I know, it's that Hiro _won't_ want to lose to Yoichi. And that puts you and him on the same side.”

“You sure about that? They're dating now. They might not be as competitive as before.”

Keitaro raised an eyebrow and gestured toward the lane, where Hiro and Yoichi were in the middle of a heated exchange.

“Are you kidding?” Yoichi was saying as Keitaro and Taiga came over to join them. “Name one sport you're better at than me. We'll _crush_ you.”

“You're stronger than me,” Hiro conceded. “But this is about more than just picking up heavy things and putting them down again in the same spot. This takes _skill_. And _you_ can barely hit the toilet when you're peeing.”

“OoooOoOohhHHH,” Taiga cried, delighted. “Trash talk!”

Yoichi narrowed his eyes. “You're goin' down, Torch-head,” he said. “You're goin' down faster than you did that night I dipped my dick in chocolate.”

“Yoichi!” Keitaro was scandalised. Taiga burst out laughing.

“Pssh, please,” Hiro said. “I've experienced how you handle balls, Wolfboy,” he added sweetly. “We don't have anything to worry about.”

Yoichi recoiled as if slapped. Taiga doubled up with laughter.

“Bahahahahaha! Good comeback, Hiro!” Taiga said, wiping tears from his eyes. He held up his hand. To everyone's surprise, including Hiro's own, Hiro high-fived him.

“Okay, guys, enough with the pleasantries,” Keitaro said. “Let's bowl!”

“Aw, man! Not again!” Taiga moaned.

“Ha! _Gutterballlll!”_ Yoichi crowed. “You _suck,_ Dynamite!”

“Yoichi, that's not very nice,” Keitaro scolded.

“Come on, Frogboy! We're kicking their asses! What's the point if we can't rub it in a little?”

“It's _mean_ ,” Keitaro insisted. “We're just having a friendly game!”

“Bah!” Yoichi said, waving him away. “They're big boys. They can take it.”

Taiga walked dejectedly back to the seating area, head down, and slumped into the chair next to Hiro. “Sorry, man,” he said. “I don't know what I'm doing wrong.”

Hiro didn't answer.

“My turn next,” Yoichi said, grabbing his bowling ball. “Watch and learn, Dynamite!”

Yoichi swung the ball. It flew gracelessly through the air, seeming wide of the mark, but somehow landed in just the right place to roll down the lane and take out most of the pins in one go.

“Yessss!” Yoichi cried, pumping his fist in the air.

“How does he _do_ that?!” Taiga exclaimed, mostly talking to himself. “It's _his_ first time playing too!”

To Taiga's surprise, Hiro said quietly: “Yoichi's pretty strong. It gives him more control over the ball. He doesn't have as much trouble aiming it as a normal beginner would.”

“Oh,” Taiga said, too shocked by the fact of Hiro speaking to him to say much else. He paused a moment to collect his thoughts, wanting to keep the conversation going but not sure how. He sighed. “Well, I don't think I have enough time to hit the gym and pound a couple of protein shakes before my next turn, so we're screwed,” he said.

Hiro shook his head. “You shouldn't be trying to play like Yoichi. Copy Keitaro. And me. Watch.”

Hiro stood, picked up his ball and went to take his turn. Taiga watched him set up the shot, take it, and clear even more pins than Yoichi had.

“Not bad, Torch-head, not bad,” Yoichi said. “But you can't carry your team by yourself. We're still ahead!”

Hiro ignored him and returned to Taiga.

“I think I see what you did,” Taiga said. “You held the ball really close to your body until the last minute, almost as if you were gonna throw _yourself_ down the lane.”

Hiro nodded. “Yoichi is strong enough to fling the ball wherever he wants without really trying,” he explained. “Me and Keitaro need to keep more control until the last possible moment. You should try doing it like us.”

As Taiga thought this over, they watched Keitaro take his turn. Keitaro's form was exactly as Hiro had described it, though the results were not quite as effective.

“Come _on_ , Frogboy!” Yoichi cried. “What was _that_?”

“I did my best!” Keitaro protested.

“Psh. Well, we're still in the lead. Thanks to me. That's what matters.”

Keitaro took his seat, looking like he was regretting his choice of team-mate. Then he glanced over, saw Hiro talking to Taiga, and smiled.

“You got it?” Hiro asked.

Taiga nodded. “I think so.” He took a deep breath. “Okay. Here goes nothing.”

“Just pretend you're the main character in a bowling anime,” Hiro said. “That's what I do.”

Taiga snickered. “You do?”

“Yeah. And Yoichi is my loud-mouth rival.”

“Get a move on, Dynamite! This place is only open until midnight!”

Taiga and Hiro shared a laugh. “Thanks, Hiro.”

Hiro shrugged off the thanks. But he smiled, too.

Taiga grabbed the ball and took up position at the end of the lane, doing his best to mimic Hiro and Keitaro's stance.

“Wait!” Hiro called.

Taiga looked around as Hiro ran over to him.

“Am I doing it wrong already?” Taiga asked.

“Like this,” Hiro said, and suddenly Hiro's hands were on Taiga's body. Taiga felt himself blush as Hiro pushed and prodded him, shifting his stance until every limb was positioned the way he wanted it. Hiro was all business, completely focused on his task, but Taiga couldn't help being slightly alarmed to have the other boy's fingers touching his arms, his chest, his stomach, his back, his butt.

“Hold it there,” Hiro was saying. “Put your arms like this. Put your back like this. Bend your legs here, and your butt goes like this. See? Isn't that better?”

“Uh huh,” Taiga said. It came out in a slightly strangled squeak. He cleared his throat. “Y-yeah,” he said, his voice now sounding ridiculously deep. What was _wrong_ with him?

He glanced toward Keitaro to see how he was reacting. His boyfriend looked highly amused, doing his best to hide a grin behind his fingers.

Yoichi, on the other hand, had a face like thunder.

“Doesn't matter how much you feel him up, Torch-head, he's still gonna suck,” Yoichi called over grumpily.

Taiga heard Hiro grind his teeth.

Suddenly, everything that had happened that night clicked into place. Taiga replayed the events of the evening from his new perspective and realised Hiro's behaviour made a lot more sense.

_Holy shit,_ Taiga thought. _I'm starting to think_ I'm _not the one he's mad at. At least, not any more._

Hiro stopped touching him and stepped back to appraise his work. Seeming satisfied, he said, “You're ready. Just ignore that jerk over there.”

Taiga nodded. He breathed deeply, stepped forward, moved his arms, released the ball. He watched it glide smoothly along the polished surface of the lane. For once, it didn't immediately veer off into one of the gutters.

Instead it kept going, right to the end of the lane, wiping out all but one of the remaining pins.

Everyone stared in shock for a few seconds.

“Holy shit!” Taiga burst out. “Did you see that?! Did you see?! I did it! Ha, ha! Hiro! You're a _genius_!”

He gabbed Hiro's face with both hands and planted a big wet kiss on the other boy's forehead.

Hiro blinked, slightly stunned and uncertain how to react. Then he smiled bashfully.

“It was your throw,” he said. “You did it, not me. Well done, dude.”

“Taiga! That was amazing!” Keitaro cried, coming over and hugging him. “You too, Hiro! You're a great coach!”

Hiro beamed at Keitaro's praise.

“Hey, Frogboy, quit encouraging the enemy!” Yoichi snapped. “Remember what team you're supposed to be on!” He remained seated, arms folded huffily over his chest.

“Come on, Yoichi, even you have to admit that was a big improvement!” Keitaro responded.

“Yeah, yeah. So what? It's one lousy frame. We're still so far ahead they'll _never_ catch up.”

“We'll see about that,” Taiga said smugly.

Yoichi's prediction proved incorrect. Whether Taiga's sudden improvement had rattled Yoichi – or whether it was because Hiro had thawed toward Taiga, and was starting to act downright friendly – something started to throw Yoichi off his game. He started to miss shots, dropped the ball once or twice, and even got the occasional gutterball. His anger only increased with each setback, making him more frustrated, causing his performance to suffer even more.

Taiga tried to keep Hiro's advice in mind. Once he had the basics down, he was even able to improve his shots a bit more, possessing slightly more upper body strength than either Keitaro or Hiro. Hiro continued to play solidly, focusing on his own performance and Taiga's, refusing to be distracted by Yoichi's increasingly frustrated taunts.

Taiga started to suspect that Keitaro was deliberately throwing the game, giving them the chance to catch up, but didn't say anything. Keitaro's performance was just competent enough to appear natural, but there were a couple of throws it seemed like he missed on purpose. He didn't seem to bothered by it, even as Yoichi berated him. Instead, he seemed quietly pleased as he watched Hiro and Taiga's score catch them up.

The smell of hot, greasy food being delivered to the bowlers next lane over suddenly caught Taiga's attention. He remembered that the bowling alley also served burgers, though not of the same quality as the ones at the Rock Hard Cafe. The smell actually made him feel a little queasy, full as he still was from the meal earlier in the evening. He tried to shake off the feeling and focus on his next turn.

“I gotta go to the bathroom,” Hiro said suddenly, surprising Taiga out of his thoughts. “I'll be back soon.”

“Huh? Oh, sure, buddy.”

Hiro left. Yoichi was too busy criticising Keitaro's last throw for either of them to notice.

Taiga tried to ignore everything else and concentrate on his own performance. He didn't really care about winning the game. He _did_ care about winning over Keitaro's best friend.

If winning some dumb bowling match was what it took to befriend Hiro, then Taiga didn't intend to lose.

He had to get out of there.

He had to get out of there _right now._

Hiro walked briskly through the bowling alley, searching for the signs to the toilets. He wanted to run, but he couldn't. If he ran, one of them would follow him, would ask him what's wrong. And if any of them so much as spoke to him, he'd probably break down trying to answer. He couldn't afford to do that right now. Not with all the confusing thoughts swirling around his head like a swarm of angry bees.

_You're an idiot,_ he told himself. _You should've eaten something. You_ always _get like this when you try to diet. You lose any emotional control. You're going to end up acting like a crazy person in front of everyone._

It was all too much. Taiga, Keitaro, Yoichi, everything. Dealing with it on a full stomach would've been difficult. Feeling like he did right now, he was completely overwhelmed.

Then, like a beacon, he saw the sign for the men's room. He bolted for it, slammed the door open and prayed it would be empty.

Mercifully, it was.

Hiro went to the sink. He splashed some cold water in his face, tried to calm down. It didn't work. He splashed some more.

He caught sight of himself in the mirror over the sink. The mirror was a massive one, running the full length of the bathroom wall. It was a little grimy. The fluorescent lighting didn't help matters either.

Hiro stared at his reflection, water dripping off his face.

_You need to eat something,_ he told himself. _You wouldn't be feeling so bad if you ate something._

But he couldn't. The was the whole problem.

His face looked okay, he thought. He couldn't see much difference there, at least.

As for the rest of him …

Hiro relaxed his diaphragm, breathing out fully for the first time that night. Suddenly the middle of his shirt bulged, looking as though he was smuggling one of the bowling balls under there. The buttons strained, barely containing his tummy. He could even see a little bit of skin peeking out in the gaps between the buttons.

And _this_ was the shirt Yoichi had picked out for him. This was what he thought he'd look _good_ in.

Hiro wanted to smash the mirror.

He wasn't just hungry. He wasn't just confused by how nice Taiga was being, not to mention his complex feelings for Keitaro. He wasn't just angry at Yoichi. He was _tired_. Tired and uncomfortable. Tired of not being able to breathe properly all night, tired of feeling the waistband of his pants digging into his skin, tired of worrying about which way he was sitting. Tired of doing his best to fit in with the three beautiful boys sitting out there, each of them stunning in their own way, making him feel uglier and more out of place with each passing second.

And then, to make matters worse, the table next to them had brought over trays of junk food from the bowling alley's kitchen. Burgers, hot dogs, french fries. Everything he'd spent the night trying to avoid, now tempting him again, enticing smells wafting across to where he'd been sitting next to Taiga, struggling to make conversation and pretend it wasn't bothering him.

He couldn't take it much longer.

Slowly, Hiro reached down and lifted up his shirt, exposing his tummy. He _knew_ it wasn't _that_ big. He wasn't _fat_. He wasn't even chubby, not really. Just a little bit of excess pudge on his belly. But it was big enough. Enough to make most of his clothes uncomfortable. Enough to make him self conscious. Enough to make him terrified of what Yoichi thought.

Hiro stared at himself in the mirror. He pinched his tummy, remembering how Yoichi had done the same thing earlier.

Had Yoichi felt the same disgust?

Was that why he'd scoffed at the idea of them screwing around once they got back?

Hiro couldn't remember Yoichi ever turning down an offer of sex before.

_Before,_ he thought. _Back when you were skinny._

He thought of Yoichi sitting out there, looking even more unbelievably hot in his new outfit than he did normally. He thought of every taught, toned muscle on Yoichi's godlike physique. He thought of his own scrawny body in comparison. Sure, he had a few small muscles, and at one point he'd even been able to see his abs – faintly, if he strained very hard. But lately they'd disappeared, vanished under a layer of fat.

_How could a guy like that want anything to do with you?_ Hiro thought, staring at his reflected torso.

_How could anyone?_

He didn't even notice when he'd started crying.

“Is he okay?” Keitaro asked.

“Torch-head? Sure.”

“He doesn't _seem_ okay. And he's been gone for a while.”

“He's probably taking a break from the strain of being nice to Dynamite. Y'know, for your sake.”

Keitaro frowned. “I dunno, Yoichi. It seemed like they were actually starting to get along.” He hesitated, then took the plunge. “Is everything okay – between you two?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn't it be?” Yoichi asked angrily.

“You seem a little mad,” Keitaro said quietly. “And Hiro was _so_ withdrawn all night. I thought he was just pissed at Taiga, but now I don't think that's it. It seems like something else is bothering him.”

Yoichi sat seething in silence for a while. Keitaro let him wait, knowing he would speak when he was ready.

“There might've been,” Yoichi said at last, “an incident.” He kept his voice low enough that only Keitaro could hear him. “But it was just a small thing. And he was fine about it! It's not a big deal.” He seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as Keitaro, but didn't look as though he believed his own words.

“What happened?” Keitaro asked gently.

“Nothing! Never mind. He's fine.”

“Then – where is he, Yoichi?”

Yoichi didn't reply.

“He said he was going to the bathroom,” Taiga piped up, having overheard the end of their conversation. “Want me to go check on him? We can't finish the game until he has his turn.”

“Would you mind?” Keitaro asked. With his eyes, he indicated that he wanted to talk about something with Yoichi. Taiga nodded, making it clear he understood.

“Sure, no problem. I gotta take a leak anyway.”

Taiga got up and left, leaving Keitaro and Yoichi alone.

Keitaro sat quietly for a minute, then two. He could practically hear the gears turning in Yoichi's head. Finally, he spoke.

“Back when we were kids,” Keitaro said, “Hiro and I ended up going to different middle schools for a while. It was the first time we'd been properly separated since we met. I wasn't able to see him every day for the first time in our lives. He took it – badly. I think he was pretty depressed, and it made him eat. A _lot_.”

“Torch-head always eats a lot,” Yoichi insisted stubbornly.

Keitaro shook his head. “Not like this,” he said. “He was binge-eating constantly, to the point of making himself feel sick. He – he put on a lot of weight, too. I guess even _his_ metabolism couldn't cope. And then some of the other kids started teasing him, calling him names about his weight, and that just made the problem worse.”

Yoichi said nothing. He was deep in thought.

“When I finally met up with Hiro again, I couldn't believe the difference in him,” Keitaro went on. “So I resolved to try and spend more time with him after school. That seemed to help. He was happier, and he didn't binge-eat as much, and gradually he lost the weight and everything went back to normal.

“But now I'm worried he's fallen into that pattern again. I'm worried he might be depressed, spending so much time alone in the capital, worrying about his mom, away from all of us. I noticed he's put on a little weight since last time I saw him, too. What do you think, Yoichi?” Keitaro asked. “Has he said anything about any of this to you?”

Yoichi didn't respond. A pained expression was forming on his face.

“Yoichi?” Keitaro asked again, concerned. “What is it? What's wrong?”

There was a long pause as Yoichi struggled to form a response.

“I think,” Yoichi said, uncertainly, then stopped. He continued: “I think I fucked up. _Bad_.”

He told Keitaro about the incident earlier in the evening. Yoichi felt himself cringing at his own words and behaviour even as he recounted it, seeing how something that had seemed so innocent at the time must have looked from Hiro's perspective.

“Yoichi!” Keitaro scolded. It was the angriest Yoichi had ever seen him. “How could you _say_ something like that? You know how insecure Hiro can be!”

“I didn't think he'd take it personally!” Yoichi protested. “We bicker and tease each other all the time! For fun!”

“Still, this is different,” Keitaro insisted. “No wonder he's been starving himself all evening. Oh, Hiro,” he said, his voice full of compassion. “I think I should go talk to him.”

“Shouldn't it be me?” Yoichi asked. “I feel like it should be me.” He went to get up, but Keitaro put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

“I think you've said enough for now,” Keitaro said sharply. He got up and stormed off to find Hiro, leaving Yoichi stewing in his own guilt.

Taiga pushed open the men's room door.

“Hiro?” he called, walking through. “You in here?”

Then he spotted him. “Oh! There you are! Dude, we were worried about you, we thought you'd – uh, Hiro?”

Hiro was staring at his own reflection in the men's room mirror.

There were tears in his eyes.

“Oh, jeez,” Taiga said, panicking. “Um. Are you okay? No, you're obviously not okay. Uh. Hang on. Wait. Do you want me to – do you want me to get Yoichi?”

Hiro lowered his face, looking down into the sink. He shook his head, indicating he didn't want Taiga to get Yoichi. Then a sob escaped him, shaking his shoulders. Tears fell, dripping from the end of his nose to splat against the porcelain of the sink.

“Oh _fuck_ ,” Taiga whispered. He was completely at a loss. What the hell was he supposed to do? He stood there uselessly, frozen to the spot, as Hiro wept.

_Go get Keitaro,_ he told himself. _He's way better at handling this kind of thing than you. He'll know what to do._

But instead, he found himself approaching Hiro. He couldn't just abandon him like this. Hesitantly, he put a hand out and touched the weeping boy on the shoulder, trying to offer some comfort.

“Dude, whatever it is, it's okay. You can talk about it,” Taiga said quietly.

Whether it was Taiga's touch or his tone of voice that did it, the dam broke. Hiro burst into tears, sobbing violently. Before Taiga quite knew what was happening, the other boy had thrown his arms around his neck and was weeping against his chest, face pressed into the front of Taiga's shirt as he collapsed against him.

Taiga stood there a moment in shock, looking both bewildered and slightly terrified, as Hiro sobbed into his chest. Then he lowered his arms, put them around Hiro and held him, gingerly at first. He tried to shut off the part of his brain that was panicking and focus on giving Hiro the simple human comfort he seemed to need.

“Shhh, shhh, it's okay, dude,” Taiga said. “Let it out. I'm here for you, man.”

Taiga heard the door to the men's room open. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Keitaro enter. Keitaro saw them and stopped in his tracks. He looked as surprised as Taiga felt.

“Hiro?” Keitaro asked. Once he had gotten over his initial shock, he was instantly concerned. “Taiga? What's wrong?”

Suddenly Taiga realised that Keitaro might think _he_ was responsible for Hiro's current emotional state.

“I didn't do it, I swear!” Taiga blurted. He held his hands up like he'd just been busted by the police. “I was just talking to him and he just – broke down!”

Keitaro's face flooded with understanding. Taiga felt relief as he realised his boyfriend had been expecting to find Hiro in such a state.

Hiro was still sobbing against his chest. Taiga lowered his hands and attempted to comfort him again. He mouthed the words 'help me' at Keitaro as Hiro continued to weep, oblivious to Keitaro's arrival. He had now started mumbling incoherently, but between his crying fit and the muffling effect of his face pressed against Taiga's chest it was impossible to make him out.

“Oh, Hiro, Hiro,” Keitaro said soothingly. He came over and rubbed his friend's back. Taiga hoped Hiro would turn to Keitaro now, but instead he continued to cling tightly to Taiga, sobbing and babbling into his shirt. Straining to understand, Taiga could make out only about one or two words in ten.

“What's he saying?” Keitaro asked.

“I have no idea,” Taiga replied. “I _think_ he said something about 'skinny jeans', but that doesn't make any sense!”

Yet Keitaro's face seemed to show some kind of comprehension. “There, there,” he said, continuing to stroke Hiro's back. “Shhhh.” He caught Taiga's eye and whispered, “He gets a little strung out like this sometimes when he doesn't eat regularly.”

“So, get him a damn cheeseburger!” Taiga hissed. “He's getting snot all over my shirt! And I have to _pee_!”

“Hiro?” Keitaro said. “Do you wanna talk about it?” He used the same gentle voice a parent might use when speaking to a small, upset child.

Hiro prised his face from Taiga's chest. His eyes were wet (though not as wet as the front of Taiga's shirt) and his whole face was red. He nodded at Keitaro.

“Uh, be right back,” Taiga said, slipping out of Hiro's grasp and jogging over to the urinals to relieve himself.

Keitaro went to the paper towel dispenser attached to the wall and grabbed a few handfuls. Damping them in the sink, he brought them over and offered them to Hiro, who took them gratefully and began trying to clean up his face.

“S-sorry, guys,” Hiro said in a small, choked voice. “Lost control there for a bit.”

“That's okay, man!” Taiga called from the urinals. “Happens to the best of us!”

They could hear him peeing.

“Taiga, do you have to do that _right now_?” Keitaro asked, annoyed.

_“Yes!”_ came the reply.

Hiro laughed gently and continued to wipe his eyes.

“Are you ready to talk about it?” Keitaro asked Hiro.

Hiro nodded. “I'm sorry. I feel so stupid, acting like this. You know what I get like when I try to diet,” he said, embarrassed.

Keitaro smiled back. “Yeah. I remember one time you got into a fight with a mirror.”

Hiro laughed at the memory. “Well, he kept _looking_ at me.” He sniffed and blew his nose on the wad of paper towels.

Keitaro became serious again. “But this seems like something more.” He hesitated. “I spoke to Yoichi. He told me about earlier.”

Hiro looked hurt. Tears welled up into his eyes once more.

“Hiro, it's just Yoichi being Yoichi,” Keitaro said consolingly. “You know what he's like better than any of us. He doesn't think before he speaks sometimes. He didn't mean anything by it. You know he still loves you.”

Hiro's face crumpled in pain. “For now,” he said quietly.

“What do you mean?” Keitaro asked.

Tears spilled over Hiro's lashes again. He turned away from Keitaro and stared into his reflection.

“Do you know why I had such a hard time accepting you were dating Taiga?” Hiro asked.

Keitaro was momentarily thrown off by what seemed like an abrupt change in subject. He tried to recover. “Uh, well, I mean, he wasn't exactly the nicest guy back at camp. I guess you were worried he hadn't really changed, right? You were concerned about me.”

Hiro nodded. “That was part of it. But not everything.” He took a deep breath. “I was jealous.”

Keitaro felt his heart sink. “Hiro, I thought we talked about this. You and I-”

“Not like that,” Hiro said, shaking his head. “I know you and I aren't a good match. For a lot of reasons. We sorted all of that out between us back in the capital. I'm fine with that. But ...”

Hiro looked down into the sink. Then he screwed up his courage and plunged ahead.

“You were my best friend. My _best_ friend. _Ever._. No one has understood me like you. No one ever will. You're a nice, sweet, perfect guy. _Too_ nice, if anything. And I still couldn't make it work with you. I screwed it up.

“And he didn't.

“Taiga. The bully. The – the psycho. One of the most awful people I'd ever met. He changed, and became a better person, and won you over. He became someone who deserves you.”

“Hiro? I don't understand. What are you saying?” Keitaro asked.

“Yoichi and I don't have the same kind of friendship you and I had,” Hiro said, his voice wavering. “We bicker and fight. We fall out a lot. We didn't even _like_ each other at first.” His voice was wavering, breaking, but he forced himself to continue. “If I can't make it work with someone like you,” he said, “what chance do I have with him? If you'd rather be with someone who bullied you than someone like me, then who the hell _would_ want to be with me?” His emotions finally got the better of him, eating up his words. “A-and – and – h-how long will it b-be until Yoichi realises he's too g-good for me as w-well?”

The end of the sentence dissolved into tears as Hiro sobbed into the sink.

Keitaro was at a loss for words. He now understood how Yoichi's blunder from before had played into Hiro's pre-existing fears, sending him on a downward spiral that hunger, emotional exhaustion and lingering resentment of Taiga had only made worse.

“Wait. _That's_ what's got you so upset?” Taiga suddenly demanded, cutting into the conversation.

Keitaro and Hiro glanced around. They had both forgotten he was still present. Taiga was standing beside them, having finished relieving himself. He looked and sounded angry. Almost as angry as he'd been confronting the guy in the queue outside.

Hiro sniffed and nodded. “Y-yeah,” he said, too absorbed in his own pain to register Taiga's tone.

Taiga's frown deepened. “Oh, give me a _break,_ Hiro!” he snapped. “If you think that then you really _are_ an idiot!”

“H-huh?” Hiro said, wiping his eyes.

“Taiga!” Keitaro warned. He could tell when his boyfriend was ramping up to an outburst, which was the last thing Hiro needed right now.

Or so he thought.

“W-what do you mean, Taiga?” Hiro asked, confused.

Taiga blew out a breath, trying to release some of his anger. “Dude, I've gotten to know Yoichi pretty well since last summer,” Taiga went on. “We spend a lot of time together at camp when you're not around. And I know this for certain: he's _crazy_ about you.”

“H-he is?” Hiro asked. He sounded hopeful, willing to be convinced.

“Of _course_ he is!” Taiga cried. He began to pace as he ranted, gesticulating wildly with his hands. “God, it's so _obvious_! Don't you _remember_ what he was like before you guys started dating? He hardly said a word to anyone, except to insult them! Now all he does is blabber on about you! 'Hiro said this, Hiro did that, me and Hiro are going here next time he's in town'! Not to mention shoving his phone into my face every time something you bake shows up on Instaglam! He's _obsessed_ with you, man!”

Hiro was smiling tremulously. “R-really?”

“ _Yes!”_ Taiga cried, throwing his hands into the air in exasperation. “Hell, that's half the reason I finally plucked up the courage to ask Keitaro out! I wanted what _you_ guys have!”

“Aw, Taiga,” Keitaro said. “I didn't know that! That's so sweet.”

“Look,” Taiga said, calming down slightly. “I don't know what happened between you and Yoichi tonight. And I know for sure he can be an idiot and a jerk. But don't let one simple mistake screw things up between you, okay? Go and talk to him. _Now_. Before things get any more messed up.”

Hiro nodded. “You're right. Thanks, Taiga.”

Taiga waved him away. “Don't mention it. Someone's gotta bring you dweebs back down to Earth.”

Hiro ran over and threw his arms around Taiga once more. For a second Taiga looked startled, expecting him to break down again. Instead, Hiro hugged Taiga fiercely.

“I'm sorry I was so hard on you,” Hiro said. “You're a good guy.”

Taiga blushed. “Ah, I probably deserved it. I didn't make a great first impression, right?”

“Well, you're making up for it now,” Keitaro said fondly. He came over and threw his arms around them both, hugging them tight.

They stayed like that for a while.

“Um, guys?” Taiga said eventually. “You know, I really should wash my hands.”

Hiro made his way back into the seating area alone. Taiga and Keitaro decided to hang back, giving him and Yoichi enough space to talk things out for a while.

But when Hiro returned to their seats, Yoichi was gone.

Hiro looked around, feeling a rising sense of alarm. Had Yoichi just left? Was he already too late to fix things?

He pulled his phone out of his pocket. He tried to bring up Yoichi's name in the contacts, but his hands were shaking and he almost started a video chat with Scoutmaster Yoshi by accident. He breathed deeply, attempted to get himself under control, and tried again.

The phone rang. And rang. And rang.

No answer.

It went to voice mail. Hiro hung up and called again. Still no answer. He tried again, and again.

He was so panicked that he almost didn't realise he could hear Yoichi's phone ringing from behind him.

The penny dropped and he whirled around to see Yoichi standing there.

“Sorry, couldn't pick up,” Yoichi said. “Hands were full.”

“Yoichi!” Hiro cried. “I thought you'd left!”

“Nope. Still here.”

“I see that. Listen, I'm sorry I've been in such a mood all night, okay? But – we need to talk.”

Yoichi shook his head. “No,” he said firmly. His tone was final, his expression said he wasn't going to be argued with.

Hiro's heart leapt into his throat. Was this it? Had he blown it already? “No?” he asked. “W-what do you mean?” His voice sounded terrified to his own ears.

Yoichi raised his hands and Hiro saw what he was holding.

It was a plate. On it was what looked like a bacon double cheeseburger from the bowling alley's kitchen. Crisp curls of bacon poked out the edges of the bap. Bright yellow cheese oozed onto the side of the plate.

The smell finally reached Hiro's nostrils and his stomach growled angrily.

“Eat this,” Yoichi said. “Wait twenty minutes. _Then_ we'll talk.”

“Yoichi, I-”

“ _Eat,_ ” Yoichi commanded, shoving the plate towards Hiro. _“Now,_ Torch-head.”

Hiro's resistance broke. All the thoughts that had been whirling around his head, all of the explanations and apologies he'd been rehearsing for Yoichi were overwhelmed in an instant by simple, animal hunger. He grabbed the burger and shoved it into his mouth. The world vanished into salty, meaty, greasy goodness. He savoured the first bite in a moment of bliss, then primal instinct took over and he started cramming the burger sideways into his mouth, practically unhinging his jaw like a boa constrictor.

“Hey, take it easy, man,” Yoichi said. “Don't choke.”

Hiro chewed and swallowed the last bite. He was pretty sure he could hear a choir of angels singing in the rafters of the bowling alley.

“Better?” Yoichi asked.

Hiro nodded.

“You want another?”

Hiro nodded more vigorously.

“Sit right there. I'll be back.”

Hiro sat down. He could already feel some colour and sanity returning to the world as his blood sugar started to stabilise. Unfortunately, with it came a rising sense of embarrassment at how he'd been acting all evening. In particular, his breakdown in front of Taiga. Hiro cringed at the memory.

Yoichi returned with another burger. Hiro opened his mouth to speak again. Yoichi shoved the burger into it.

“Not yet. Eat. Wait. Then talk,” Yoichi repeated.

He sat down in the chair beside Hiro.

Hiro ate his burger, more slowly this time. Yoichi waited in silence.

When the twenty minutes were up, Hiro glanced at Yoichi.

“Okay,” Yoichi said. “Now we can talk.”

They sat in silence for a few moments longer, neither of them quite knowing how to begin.

Then, simultaneously, they both turned to each other and said: “I'm sorry.”

“Wait, _you're_ sorry?” Yoichi asked. “What the hell for?”

“For everything,” Hiro said. “How I acted tonight. I was being a jerk.”

“You weren't ready,” Yoichi said, shaking his head. “You told me that. I didn't listen. I pushed you into this. That's on me.”

“Actually … I'm kinda glad you did,” Hiro said.

Yoichi raised his eyebrows questioningly.

“I have to admit – you were right. About Taiga. Once I gave him a chance, he's a pretty good guy.”

Yoichi nodded. “He is. I'm glad you can see that now.” Yoichi frowned. “But you don't like him _that_ much, right?”

Hiro was confused. “What do you mean?”

Yoichi looked uncomfortable. “That little – display, earlier,” he said. “When you were teaching him to bowl.”

Despite his other emotions, Hiro laughed. “Oh, _that_? Ha! No! Come on. I was just trying to make you jealous.”

“Really?”

“Of course! I haven't changed my mind about him _that_ much. I just wanted to – hurt you, a little, I guess,” Hiro admitted, looking into his lap. “Like you hurt me.”

“Oh. Yeah. That.” Yoichi cleared his throat. “Look, about that, I'm sorry-”

“I know you're sorry,” Hiro cut in. “We don't need to talk about it any more.”

“We _do_ ,” Yoichi insisted. “I thought you understood how I felt earlier, but I guess not.”

“I get it,” Hiro said sadly. “You love me. I've just – gotten a little out of shape. I panicked and tried to fix it overnight. Starving myself. Made me act even crazier. I'm stupid. I get it.”

“No, you _don't_ get it,” Yoichi said, exasperated. “I wasn't criticising the way you look, dammit!”

Hiro looked at him. “You weren't? 'Cause I'm pretty sure you did.”

Yoichi threw his hands up in frustration. “Gah! Come on, Torch-head! It's _me_! Me just big dumb cave boy, remember? I'm not good at – at expressing what I mean!”

“Okay. Granted. So what _did_ you mean?” Hiro asked quietly.

Yoichi took a few seconds to collect his thoughts, struggling to put them into words.

“You _know_ I think you're cute as hell, right?” he said. “And sexy. Even with the little tummy. Hell, I actually kinda like it. It's fun to play with.” He stared at Hiro, hard, wanting to make absolutely sure Hiro understood he was being sincere.

Hiro blushed. Self-conscious, he tried to suck his tummy in. Full of cheeseburgers, he failed and winced a little at the pain. “So – so why did you say that about my clothes?” he asked.

“Because, you look so damn _uncomfortable_ all the time! Like tonight! You keep wearing things that don't fit you properly, and then you get all pissed about it! You looked miserable all night!”

Hiro's blush deepened as he realised Yoichi had picked up in what he was feeling. “Oh. I – I didn't think it was that obvious,” he said.

Yoichi snorted. “You think I can't tell when you're not happy? I'm not _that_ dumb. And besides ...” Yoichi trailed off.

“Besides what?” Hiro prompted after a few seconds of silence.

“It's not about looks, or sex, or anything like that,” Yoichi said. He took his time talking, trying to phrase each sentence exactly right. Hiro could see the effort it cost him on his face. “You don't take care of yourself. You eat like crap. You don't get enough exercise. You're stressed all the time. It's not _good_ for you, man. And you're only nineteen. What're you gonna be like in ten years' time? Or twenty? You gotta fix these bad habits _now_.” He took a deep breath. “I want you to live a long, happy life, Torch-head. With _me_. Okay?!”

Yoichi was blushing furiously. He'd been unable to make any eye contact with Hiro throughout his entire speech. Hiro was staring at him, open-mouthed.

Yoichi glanced at him. “ _What_?” he barked. “Do I have a booger or something?!”

Hiro shook his head. “No, I just … I didn't think you thought about stuff like that.”

“Stuff like what?” Yoichi demanded.

“You know. Us. The future.”

“Well, don't _you_ think about that stuff sometimes?”

“Well, yeah, _I_ do. But you're Yoichi! I thought you only lived in the present.”

Yoichi shrugged. “I used to. I used to hate thinking about the future. Mainly 'cause I didn't think I had one.” He smiled to himself. “Then I met you. And now I can't _stop_ thinking about it.”

Hiro impulsively leaned over and kissed him. Yoichi resisted at first, surprised, then kissed him back.

“There's something else,” Yoichi said as their lips parted. “Keitaro told me something tonight. About you.”

Hiro looked away. “He did?”

“Yeah. He said you'd been like this once before. A few years ago. He said he thought you might be kinda – depressed.”

Hiro shrugged.

“Dammit, Torch-head, _talk_ to me! I thought we were closer than this! You need to tell me what you're going through! I told _you_ all of that stuff about my mom!”

Hiro flinched.

“Torch-head? What's wrong?”

Hiro obviously wanted to say something, but was holding back.

“Spill it, man,” Yoichi said.

Hiro steeled himself.

“That's why I didn't want to tell you,” he said quietly.

Yoichi was confused. “What're you talking about?”

Hiro sighed. “All of that stuff you went through. Your mom. Your childhood. Everything you survived. It's all so awful. And I feel so – silly, or pathetic even, talking about my dumb problems, when you went through all of that. Like I don't deserve to be unhappy.”

Yoichi stared at him in silence for a long time, processing this speech.

Then, he reached over and smacked Hiro across the back of the head.

“Ow!” Hiro cried. “What the hell?! What was _that_ for?!”

“Because I _love_ you, ya fuckin' moron!” Yoichi snarled. His voice broke slightly, and there were tears forming in the corner of his eyes. He wiped them away angrily. “When you're unhappy, _I'm_ unhappy! Got it?! So talk to me about your shit! My crappy childhood's got nothin' to do with it, understand?”

“God! Yes! Okay!” Hiro was alarmed to see Yoichi so close to breaking down.

“I mean it, Torch-head! Don't leave me in the dark again!”

“Fine! Yes! I get it!”

“Good!” Yoichi calmed down, having made his point. He sniffed and wiped his eyes again, trying to get himself back under control. Hiro stared at him, slightly in shock to see just how upset he was. He gave Yoichi a few moments to recover his composure.

“Besides,” Yoichi went on, his voice level once more, “it's not like you have it easy. Your mom's sick. You've spent your childhood taking care of her. You're living in another city, away from all of your friends and family. From me. It _sucks_. You're entitled to feel bad about it.”

“Gee, thanks for reminding me,” Hiro said, but smiled slightly.

“So talk to me about it. I'm your fucking boyfriend! That's what I'm here for. Well, one of the things.”

“Okay. I will.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” He meant it, too.

“Good. 'Cause otherwise I'll kick your ass.”

“Heh. Okay.”

They sat in silence once again. This time it felt more comfortable to Hiro. It felt safe.

And suddenly, before he quite realised what was happening, Hiro was telling Yoichi what it felt like.

“I'm fine when I'm with you,” he said. The tone of his voice was sort of distant, as though he wasn't really hearing himself speak. “Even when my mom is there. But when I'm alone in that apartment by myself – in the city, by myself ...” He trailed off.

“You feel sad?” Yoichi prompted, eyes searching Hiro's face, trying to understand.

Hiro shook his head. “I don't feel anything. I just feel, like, numb. Empty. So I eat. And at first it's nice, because food is comforting, y'know? But after a while I'm not enjoying it any more. I'm full but I just keep eating, trying to hold onto that feeling of comfort. And then I start to feel sick. But even that's good. Because when I'm feeling sick, I'm distracted from everything else. All I can think about is wanting the sick feeling to go away. And when it passes, I feel a little better. For a while.”

Yoichi absorbed this monologue. “Shit, Torch-head,” was all he could say.

“I know I need to cut down on the crap I eat,” Hiro said. “But the thought of it is just so – bleak. Sometimes, food is all that gets me through the day. It feels like food is the only friend I have left. It's always there for me. It never ditches me, or gets fed up with me. And it always makes me feel good. Sometimes, when my mom isn't doing so well, or when I know I won't get to see you for a while, a chocolate bar is the only thing I have going for me. I don't know if I can give that up.”

“You don't _have_ to give it up, man,” Yoichi insisted. “You ever see me turn down a treat? You just gotta be smart about it. Eat better. Less junk. More nutrition. You just can't eat six doughnuts for breakfast. Not _every_ day. Understand?”

Hiro nodded.

“I can give you some tips. What to eat. Some workouts to do, even just in the apartment. And when you're feeling low, call me,” Yoichi said. “I might not be able to be with you in person. I might not know the right words to say. But I promise I'll listen, and I'll be there for you. No matter what. Do you believe me?”

Hiro looked into Yoichi's eyes. He nodded.

“I do,” he said.

“Good. Because I love you.”

“I love you too, Yoichi.”

Hiro leaned his head against Yoichi's shoulder. He felt as if a massive weight had been lifted off his chest. Yoichi put his arm around him.

They heard footsteps approach. Yoichi glanced over to see Keitaro and Taiga standing next to them.

“You guys okay?” Keitaro asked gently, his eyes full of concern.

Yoichi nodded. “Yeah,” he said. “We will be.”

They finished their game shortly afterwards. Keitaro and Yoichi won, but by a much narrower margin than expected. Yoichi even found enough grace to shake Taiga's hand and congratulate him on his improvement. Since having eaten and talked with Yoichi, Hiro's mood had improved dramatically. He was now like his old self again. The others had responded to his change in temperament, and the night ended with fun and laughter, as though the awkwardness of before had never happened. Everyone felt an echo of the old magic that had surrounded them that summer at Camp Buddy, on those rare, enchanted moments when there'd been no fears, no arguments, just a group of friends enjoying themselves together.

Even after finishing their game, the four of them stayed in their seats, chatting and joking around, forgetting about the time until Sally herself came to throw them out of the alley before it closed.

“We should do this again sometime,” Hiro said as they paused outside, saying their goodbyes. “It was fun!”

“Yeah, it was,” Keitaro said.

The two couples stood facing each other, Yoichi with his arm slung across Hiro's shoulders, Taiga and Keitaro linked at the elbow.

“So, Hiro,” Taiga joked. “Do I have your approval to keep dating Keitaro now?”

Hiro chuckled. “Yeah,” he said. “I guess so. Besides, you know if you ever hurt him again, they'll never find your body, right?”

Taiga laughed. “Wouldn't expect anything less from you, man.”

“He thinks he's kidding, doesn't he?” Yoichi stage-whispered to Keitaro. Keitaro shushed him.

Taiga offered his hand. Hiro pulled him into a hug instead.

Yoichi shook his head. “Get a room, you two,” he muttered.

“Aw, Yoichi, don't be jealous,” Keitaro teased. “Come here!”

Keitaro tackled Yoichi in a bear hug, almost knocking him off his feet.

“Hey! Watch the hair, Frogboy! I spent ages on this look!”

“And it shows!” Keitaro said, playfully ruffling Yoichi's quiff. Yoichi shook him off.

“Bet you're glad you went with that outfit in the end, huh?” Taiga asked. “I told you it was the best choice.”

“Huh? What do you mean, Taiga?” Hiro asked.

“Shut up, Dynamite,” Yoichi warned.

Taiga looked between Hiro and Yoichi. “He didn't tell you?” he asked Hiro.

“Tell me what?”

“Shut _up_ , Dynamite!”

“He sent us pictures of like, ten different outfits for him to wear tonight,” Taiga said, laughing. “Wanting us to pick which one you'd like best.”

“Rrrgh! I'm gonna _kill_ you!” Yoichi snarled. He lunged at Taiga, who easily dodged out of his reach, laughing.

“Awww, did you really do that, Wolfboy? That's so cute!”

“Shut up, Torch-head!”

“Hahahaha! He's blushing!” Keitaro laughed.

“I am not!”

“You so are!” Hiro giggled. “Don't be embarrassed! It's adorable!”

“I am _not_ adorable,” Yoichi growled.

“Face it, buddy, you pretty much are,” Taiga said. He placed a consoling arm on Yoichi's shoulder. “You're just a big lovesick puppy.”

“Fuck you,” Yoichi muttered. “Fuck all of you. I'm going home.”

Yoichi stalked off, leaving the others laughing.

Hiro watched him go. “I better go after him. Thanks again, you guys. I know it got off to a rough start, but I'm really glad we did this.”

“Us too,” Keitaro said, linking arms with Taiga.

“TORCH-HEAD!” Yoichi bellowed. “COME ON! I STILL GOTTA WALK THE DOGS TONIGHT!”

“I'm coming, I'm coming!” Hiro called. To Keitaro and Taiga, he said “Night, guys.”

“Night.”

“Goodnight, Hiro.”

Hiro scampered off to join Yoichi. Taiga and Keitaro watched them walk off. The sounds of their amicable bickering carried along the street, yet before they turned the corner they were already walking arm in arm.

“Those two crack me up,” Taiga said fondly.

“Yeah. They're an odd pair. But they seem to work.”

“Like us?”

Keitaro glanced up at him. “Like us,” he agreed. They kissed.

Keitaro and Taiga walked off together. Their journey home was taking them in a different direction to Hiro and Yoichi, but Keitaro knew it wouldn't be long before they all met up again.

**The End**


End file.
